1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control method. More specifically, the present invention relates to displaying first and second display data which result from independent processing of first information and second information.
2. Description of the Related Art
A user's terminal apparatus is connected to a server apparatus over the Internet in a network game (online game). The server executes a process relating to the progress of the game based on information transmitted from the terminal apparatuses of the users, and transmits the processing result to the users' terminal apparatuses. Such a process mode of the network game permits each user participating in a game to progress the game in cooperation with other users. There is a user who wants to progress the game with other users with whom he/she has played the game in the past. Such a user may be eager to know information on the status of the other users.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2003-50771 discloses a network game which provides a friend list function of providing information on other users registered previously by a user. The user of the network game can check whether other users registered as friends are online or offline, or are participating in the game, etc., by referring to the friend list. The user of the network game can ask another user to participate in the game based on the friend list.
The network game disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2003-50771 provides the function of displaying the friend list while the user plays the network game, as a partial function of a game program. The function of displaying the friend list while a messenger is being launched is likewise provided as a partial function of a messenger program.
FIG. 1 illustrates the module structure of a game program according to a conventional technology. If games differ from one another, game programs also differ from one another, so that a game-1 program 251 corresponding to a first game and a game-2 program 252 corresponding to a second game are prepared as programs which use the function of an operating system (OS) 200. The game-1 program 251 has a friend list module 251a for processing a friend list, and a drawing module 251b for drawing images of games and the friend list. The game-2 program 252, which is independent of the game-1 program 251, has a friend list module 252a and a drawing module 252b. 
For example, the game-1 program 251 causes the friend list module 251a in that program to process the friend list and to transmit information on the result of processing the friend list together with information on the result of processing the first game to the drawing module 251b. The game-1 program 251 also causes the drawing module 251b to draw an image in a frame memory. The game-2 program 252 causes the friend list module 252a in that program to process the friend list and to transmit information on the result of processing the friend list together with information on the result of processing the second game to the drawing module 252b. The game-1 program 251 also causes the drawing module 252b to draw an image in the frame memory. The friend list modules 251a, 252a, which have basically the same function, must be prepared for the respective games.
Conventionally, in a case where a user refers to a friend list while playing a network game, the friend list appears to be displayed in a pop-up window different from the original image of the game, visually. Actually, the friend list is, however, merely displayed, as just a part of the image of the game, in front of the original image of the game. Therefore, as the game image is displayed in the window, not on a full screen but in a window display manner by the window display function of the OS 200, the display area of the friend list becomes relatively small. This makes it difficult for the user to see the friend list.
Technically, the friend list may be displayed on a window different from the game image. However, if the game image is displayed on a full screen when the window of the friend list is set behind the game image, the friend list cannot be seen. If the window of the friend list is set in front of the game image, the window of the friend list makes it difficult for the user to see the image of the game.